Today we are thrilled to take you on a journey to beautiful Peru to visit fabric producer Naturtex. Peru has long been a source for inspiring textiles. Dating back as far as the 16th century, the fibers produced by skilled Peruvian farmers have been in high demand.
As the Spanish Conquistadors made their way across the deserts of Peru in 1531, they were captivated by plots of cotton growing in an array of hues unlike anything before seen by Europeans. Samples of the fine fibers were sent back to the royal court of Spain as examples of the treasures that awaited in the New World. Adding to its mystique, the organic cotton they discovered grew in the desert, and as such, needed little water and no fertilizer. The Conquistadors' discovery had its origins over 4,000 years prior, when the Incas of ancient Peru began cultivating natural colored cotton and [spinning](https://www.commonshare.com/capabilities/spinning) it into soft and flexible fibers. This tradition has continued over the centuries in relative obscurity. Yet the growing desire within the global marketplace for natural quality has ushered organic cotton into the fashion design limelight. The Native Cotton Project of Peru has developed the infrastructure to maintain this tradition. Today, these pre-Columbian farming techniques are practiced by artisans in small farmyard plots. Natural colored cotton strains are harvested and sorted by hand - free of defoliants, artificial growth regulators, pesticides and herbicides. The harvested cotton is then mill-spun in small batches and exported worldwide. In 1971, American archaeologist James Vreeland, Jr. was studying pre-Columbian textiles in Lima, Peru under a stereoscopic microscope. He discovered large masses in some cotton fibers that seemed to impart color to the fabric. Further investigation within local populations helped him discover that the native culture was quietly harvesting natural colored cotton and had been for centuries. Although the Mochica Indians protected their [plants](https://www.commonshare.com/capabilities/plants) and secrets with an envious guard, Mr. Vreeland was eventually able to learn about their agricultural traditions. In 1997, Vreeland founded Peru Naturtex. The company is the Native Cotton Project of Peru's commercial representative to worldwide markets and a supplier of organic Peruvian pima cotton. Headquartered in Lima, Peru, the certified processing centers of Peru Naturtex offer a wide array of services from [weaving](https://www.commonshare.com/capabilities/weaving) and [knitting](https://www.commonshare.com/capabilities/knitting) to [dyeing](https://www.commonshare.com/capabilities/dyeing) in ecologically harmonious hues.
The company specializes in organic farming methods that result in material like the fine 'Pakucho' yarn - one of the purest natural color cotton yarns available. The strains have been genetically developed into a palette of earthy hues and are completely devoid of chemical or synthetic dye. This particular strain of cotton has been given the botanical name Gossypium Barbadense Peruvanium and is renowned throughout the [textile](https://www.commonshare.com/capabilities/textile) world for having the finest, longest fibers of all cottons.
Materials in this article
Combed Organic Peruvian Pima Cotton, Fair Trade, T[..]
$ 7.00 / Meters From Peru
Add to Swatch book
<div>
Peru Naturtex also creates garments from the raw fabric to exact specifications and ships orders out to customers on a daily basis. Export channels ship daily to North and Central America as well as Europe and Asia. Vreeland's experience and expertise with eco-textiles makes his company particularly qualified to satisfy the world market demand for organic cotton. The journey of the product is supervised from field to factory to client under strict international regulations for organic textiles.